Process and apparatus for cleaning waste



y 1932- J. R. HIATT ET AL 1,857,812,

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE Filed July 14, 1928 2Sheets-Shet 1 y 1932- JVR. HIATT ET AL 1,857,812

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WASTE Filed July 14. 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 2 glwuewtou down 1?, ffm'rri/ro amines Patented May 1-0,1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN R. IFIIATT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, ANDCHARLES R. WICKER, OF CARMEL, INDIANA PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOB CLEANINGWASTE Application filed Jul 14,

The present invention is concerned with the same subject matter of thatcovered by our co-pending application Serial No. 186,800, filed April26, 1927-namely, the

6 cleaning and renovation of waste such as is commonly used in thejournal boxes of railroad cars. Such waste, after a long period of use,requires removal, as the oil which it contains becomes hardened andcakes and the waste gradually accumulates foreign matter which isundesirable in the journal box.

The general object of the invention covered by this application is toprovide a machine and process by the use of which old journal box wastemay be thoroughly renovated, the old caked oil and all foreign matterbeing removed, so that the waste cleaned can be used in journal boxes asbefore without the necessity for the admixture of new fresh waste.

In carrying outour invention we provide a horizontally disposed screen,preferably submerged in hot oil, and over this screen we pass the wastewhich is to be cleaned, this waste being arranged in a relatively thinlayer.

Above the screen we provide means for combing or shredding the waste andworking it so that it becomes thoroughly impregnated with the hot oiland is fairly cleaned thereby. In the preferred form of our invention,the working and shredding means also operate to move the waste over thescreen, so that the necessity for any special conveying means for thispurpose is eliminated. We supply fresh hot oil from an outside sourcecontinuously to the tank in which the screen is located. this clean oildesirably being supplied near the top of the tank; and we providecontinuously operating means for withdrawing from the bottom of the tank.alldirty oil as well as all solid foreign matter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention Fig. 1 is a sideelevation in partial section of my machine: Fig. 2 is an end elevationof the machine; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 1;Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-'4 of Fig. 1: and Fig. 5 isa fragmental plan view of 50 the machine.

Our waste-cleaning machine comprises a 192a. Serial in. 292,772.

tank adapted to contain the hot oil in which the waste is cleaned.Horizontally disposed in the tank 15 and below the level of the oiltherein is a screen or adjustable grate over which the waste is passedas it is cleaned. Desirably, this screen. 16 is formed by'a series oftransversely extending pivoted vanes 17 each of which is supported by ashaft 18. The shafts 18 are provided with arms 19, the outer ends ofwhich are all connected to a link 20 adapted to be moved by a controllever 21. By adjusting the position of the control lever 21, theeffective opening between adjacent vanes can be carried as desired. .1

Upon the screen 16 formed by the vanes 17 are the means which we employto work the waste and to move it along the screen. This means desirablycomprises a plurality of sets of spreading fingers 25, and a pluralityof cup members or dashers 26 similar to those employed in washingmachines and desirably having serrated edges.. Each of the spreaders islocated between two'sets of dashers 26. as is clear from Fig. 1. Bysuitable operating means, the fingers 25 and dashers 26 are caused tomove in such a manner as to work the waste and tomove 1t over the screen16.

For the purpose of operating the dashers, we provide for each set ofdashers a pair of vertically spaced crank shafts 27 and 28 which rotatein unison and which are of equal throw. As illustrated in the drawings,each set of dashers 26 consists of four dashers ar I ranged in a rowextending transversely of the tank 15. Each of the dashers has a stem 30which extends upward from the dasher and is adapted to be connected tothe two cranks 27 and 28. q

To this end, the, eccentric portion of each of the cranlpshafts 27carries four guides 27'- in which the upper ends of the stems 30 arerespectively received. Springs 30 acting between the guides 27' andtheir respective dasher stems 30 tend to force the dashers 26 downwardlyinto contact with the screen 16. The eccentric portion or crank of thecrank shaft 28 extends through slots in the stems of the dashers 26.

As has been previously stated, the shafts 27 and 28 are of equal throw.As a result, the

\ continues to be exerted by the springs 30, and

i 16 and to shred it for the thence move upward and rearwardly out ofcontact with the waste. In this upward movement, a artial vacuum isproduced in and immediate y below each dasher, similarly to the actionof the suction cups commonly employed in washing machines, with theresult that the cleaning oil is drawn through the waste.

The spreaders 25 are operated to have a similar movement; but inaddition are provided with operating means which impart to them atransverse reciprocation in order to distribute the waste evenly overthe screen purpose of removing all lumps.

To this end, each set of spreaders 25 may be moved in the longitudinalplane of the tank 15 by means of a pair of vertically spaced crankshafts 31 and 32. On each pair of crank shafts is mounted a pair of arms33 which extend downward below the lower crank shaft 32 and are thereprovided respectively with cross-pins 34 extending longitudinally of thetank 15. The crank shafts 31 and 32 are of equal throw, rotate at equalspeed, and are in phase with each other, so

that the arms 33 are maintained in vertical position throughout theircycle of movement.

I prefer to arrange each set of spreaders 25 in four groups comprisingparallel rows of fingers which extend ransversely across the tank 15.Each group of spreaders is secured to a back 35 having horizontal slotsi 37 on adjacent backs are located at opposite 36 for the reception ofthe cross pins 34. Conveniently, two of the backs together with theirassociated spreaders 25 are located on one side of the arms 33zand theother two backs are located on the opposite side thereof. Each of thebacks 35 has at one end an arm 37 provided-with a vertical slot 38. Thebacks 35 are so arranged that the arms sides of the tank 15. Along thesides of the tank 15, we provide two longitudinally extending rods 40which are received respectively within the slots 38. These rods 40 aremovable transversely. of the tank 15, and are conveniently supported byswinging links 41 pivotally mounted on the side walls of the tank. Oneof the links 41 associated with each' of the rods 40 has rigid with itan operating arm 42 connected through a connecting rod 43 with aneccentric crank on a crank shaft 44 adapted to be driven through gearing45 either from one of the shafts 47 or from one of the shafts 31.Desirably, the gearing 45 is of such a ratio that each group of fingers25 will make several oscillations transversely of the tank during eachcycle of movement in the longitudinal plane of the tank. The cranks ofthe two crank shafts 44 which oscillate the rods 40 are arranged so thatthese rods and the finger backs 35 respectively associated with themwill move in opposite directions, and the spreaders 25 are so spacedthat the fingers of one group will pass fingers of the adjacent group intheir transverse reciprocation in order to secure a thorough shreadingof the waste.

The shafts 27 and 28., which operate the dashers 26, and the shafts 31and '32, which operate the fingers 25, desirably rotate in the samedirection and at the same speed and are arranged so that their cranksare 180 apart. As a result of this, waste entering upon the right-handend (Fig. 1) of the the tank is forced through the waste. As Athedashers move upward, the adjacent fingers 25 move downward and engagesome of the waste which the dashers have moved to the left and carry itfurther in that direction, at the sametime passing transversely throughit to shred it and remove all lumps. By their leftward movement, thespreaders 25 carry the waste into a position where it will be engaged bythe next set of dashers 26, and this action is repeated throughout thelength of the screen 16.

At the discharge end of the screen 16, we provide a belt conveyor 55which receives the waste discharged from the screen 16. This conveyorextends upward to a point above the normal level of the oil in the tank15 and carries the waste to a chute 56 from which it is discharged towringer rolls 57 which squeeze the oil from it. To avoid excessivehorizontal extent of the conveyor 55, we provide a belt 58 between whichand the conveyor 55 the waste is inched as it, is raised. The pinchingwhidh the waste receives between the two belts 55 and 56 also squeezessome oil from it.

Extending longitudinally through the tank 15 near the bottom thereof isa worm conveyor 60 which, for a portion of its circumference is ratherclosely surrounded by a casing 61 having inwardly and downwardly slopingside walls 61 which extend to the side walls of the tank 15 and serve todirect to the conveyor 60 any solid matter descending through the oil inthe tank. Desirably,

. the casing 61 is interrupted at a point interand thence around a roll67 located above the normal level of oil in-the tank 15. As in the caseof a belt conveyor 55, we may supplement the traveling screen 63 with asecond belt or screen 68 which runs around the roll- 66 and around aroll 69 located above the upper roll 67 associated with the screen 63. Q

The upwardly extending stretches of the screen 63 and belt 68 aredesirably contained in a lateral extension 7 0 of the tank 15. The rolls67 and 69 are driven through any suitable gearing 71 from a shaft 72which is in turn driven from one of. the shafts 27 or 31.

the screen 63 and below the opening 62 we provide a box 75 having anopen top across which the screen 63 travels. Communicating with thisbox, is a pipe 76 through which oil may be withdrawn from the tank 15.The oil thus withdrawn is passed through a suitable cleaner or filter,is heated, and is discharged asfrom a pipe 77, near the top of the tank15.

The various moving parts of our wastecleaning machine maycbe driven froman electric motor 80 which is connected through suit- .ablespeed-reduction gearing with a transverse shaft 81. The shafts 81, 27,and 31, may all be provided with sprockets 82 of equal diameter withwhich there co-operates a chain 83, this method of driving insuring thatthe shafts 27 and 31 will be driven at the same rate of speed. Anotherchain- 85 extending from a suitable sprocket on the shaft 81 may drivethe conveyors and 56 and still another chain 86 may be employed to drivethe conveyor through suitable gearing 87. Each lower dasher shaft 28 mayconveniently be driven from the associated upper dasher shaft 27 by achain 88, and the lower finger-operating shafts 32 may be similarlydriven by chains 89.

In operation, the waste to be cleaned is placed in the machine at theright-hand end thereof as shown in Fig. 1 and passes over the screen 16to the conveyor 55 as above set forth. The action ofthe spreaders 25 anddashers 26' removes all lumps and foreign matter from the waste andthoroughly impregnates it with the fresh clean oil, with the result thatthe cleaned waste dischar ed from the wringer rolls 57 is insubstantially the same condition as it was in before being used Locatedbetween the horizontal stretches of cleaning liquid, a perforate screenin said tank cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said in journalboxes. Solid matter and short shreds of waste which pass through theopenings between the vanes 17 constituting the screen 16 drop downwardor are carried downward by the general downward flow of oil in the tank15, to the conveyor 60 which conveys them to the opening 62 in thecasing 61. The solid matter thus conveyedto the opening 62 fallstherethrough upon the screen 63 which carries it laterally and upward todischarge it from the tank 15.

By withdrawing dirty cool oil from the bottom of the tank andintroducing hot oil at the top of the tank, we obtain a distinctadvantage; for the oil introduced at the top of the-tank tends todescend as it cools, thus producing in the tank a general downward flowwhich carries all solid matter with it away from the waste beingcleaned.

While we have described our apparatus as being used for the cleaning ofjournal-box. waste for re-use, it is not limited to such use; as it canbe employed to advantage in cleaning of waste or similar material in anyliqu1 We claim as our invention 1. An apparatus for cleaning waste,comprislng a tank for containing a supply of means for compressing thewaste against said screen, and means for shredding waste on said screen.v

2. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing asupply of tank, a plurality of means for compressing the waste againstsaid screen, and a plurality of, means for shredding waste on saidscreen,

said compressing and shredding means being arranged alternately.

3. An apparatus for'cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing asupply of cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said tank. compressingmembers for compressing the waste against said screen, and means formoving said compressing members first downwardly into contact with thewaste on the screen, thenv forwardly relative to the screen, and thenupwardly and rearwardly.

4. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing asupply of cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said tank, shreddingmeans including a plurality of groups of fingers for shredding waste onsaid screen, means 'for reciprocating said groups of fingers in oppositedirections transversely of said tank, and means for moving said groupsof fingers in the longitudinal plane of the tank to move waste alongsaid screen.

5. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for-' containing asupply of cleaning liquid, a screen in said tank, means for compressingwaste against said screen,

said screen being provided with a plurality i 0 of openings, and meansfor varying the effective size of such openings.

6. An apparatus for cleaning waste, comprising a tank for containing asupply of cleaning liquid, a perforate screen in said tank, a pluralityof cup members arranged with their open. ends adjacent said screen, andmeans for moving said cup members toward and from said screenalternately to compress and release waste between them and said screenand for moving said cup members forwardly relative to said screen Whilecom pressing Waste.

7. A process of cleaning waste comprisin alternately and repeatedlyshredding an compressing the waste while submerged in cleaning fluid.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Carmel, Indiana,this 27th day of June, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twenty eight.A JOHN R. ATT.

CHARLES R. WICKER.

